ᴡᴇ ʙᴇᴀʀ ɪᴛ / 𝐚𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐭

                𝐭𝐡𝐞  𝐛𝐨𝐱𝐞𝐬  𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐰𝐧  𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭  𝐡𝐞𝐫  had  a  self-wrapped  look.  haeyoon  picked  one  of  the  numerous  gifts  laid  out  up  and  turned  the  small  box  over  in  her  hands,  letting  her  eyes  roam  freely  over  every  ribbon  so  lovingly  made.  ❝  are  these  all  for  me?  ❞  she  raised  her  eyes  to  the  scottish  princess,  who  had  a  look  in  her  eye,  caught  between  pride  and  fear  of  rejection,  about  to  say  how  they  were  simple  to  wrap,  or  that  it  was  really  nothing  at  all.  before  the  other  could  speak,  the  regent  raised  her  hand  to  the  nape  of  her  neck,  touching  lightly,  tilting  her  head  up  just  a  little.  ❝  honestly,  lina.  i  was  expecting  some  songpyeon  or  even  a  bottle  of  sindoju,  but  all  of  this  is  unexpected.  you  really  shouldn’t  have.  ❞

“G'morning.  Looks like you’ve been busy.”

Subtlety, thy name is not Henry Stuart.

That’s why he’s so surprised he’s able to startle his usually attentive daughter.  With heavy footsteps and a loud demeanor, it’s rare he ever has to announce his presence.  Clearly, what’s ever on her mind had been enough to distract her from even noticing him.

Henry easily comes to lean on the door frame, brow raising and lips curling into a crooked smile.  He’d been a mischievous child; so he knows the smile she gives him well enough, though what exactly he’s caught her doing, he hasn’t the faintest.  Things seem rather mundane to him.  Not a bottle or a boy or a broken window in sight.  He tilts his head, and against his better intentions, glances to the pile of gifts on her bed.

“What’s all this?”

@ofstuarts​ // the lady was standing before her mirror, her hands running up and down her skirt. it was a day that made greer think of her own roots within the africas and her filipino heritage. a smile came to her face thinking of everything her family allowed her to do before she became employed. 

she turned, opening the door to her lady’s rooms. she bent her knee before going to pick up the dress lina had picked. “do you have festivals like these within your chinese culture?”

              𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐡𝐚𝐞𝐲𝐨𝐨𝐧 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐝 from the endless array of colors and fabrics, her name’s abrupt call brought her to. her features were bright, lips raised into a smile, and her steps had a bounce to them as she clasped the handles. beyond the door was a wanted familiar sight she had not expected to see. the princess was as vivid as busan’s summer blooms, though a look of subtle distress donned on her, starkly contrasting to the memorable glow of her face haeyoon witnessed long ago. why come to her now?

               ❝ 𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐚? ❞ curiosity introduced itself to haeyoon in the form of arched brows and keen eyes at the sight before her. behind the regent trailed a mess of clothing, scattered in the brilliant rays, each as beautiful as the next. ❝ excellent timing! i have been racking my brain for the past hour, pondering what i ought to wear for this evening. ❞ mused the regent, and took the princess by the hand, furthering into her bedchamber toward her previous endeavor — even her alarmed tone at the door could not outshine haeyoon’s delight. ❝ what brings you to my chambers at this hour? ❞

     it’s an overreaction, surely, though by this point haeyoon’s no stranger to lina’s anxieties, whether lina confesses them verbally or not. relief rushes through her when haeyoon’s voice rings through the air – relief and, well, something else, a sense of fondness that only the presence of the other tends to bring. suddenly her worries melt away, and though that might seem reasonable, it’s no easy feat for someone like herself. her eyes linger when haeyoon opens the door, expression curious though kind despite lina’s rather rude bout of knocking. “ hour? ” the only time she’s ever spent that long is perhaps when choosing what to wear for one of her performances, and maybe not even then.

        though a bit too shy to act on her feelings, the eerie and confused atmosphere of the palace had lina on edge. and with her siblings and parents perfectly fine and settled, even lina’s timid nature couldn’t keep her from seeking out the one person she wanted to check on. she knew haeyoon would be fine likely, at least physically, but still –- what sort of friend would lina be if she didn’t check?

“Girl, what the hell are you doing down here?”   Sharp words come from his surprise, as Henry catches his footing.

He’s lucky, he supposes, that beyond their prim and polish, his girls are strongly made. He’s plowed men down with less momentum.  Still, his eldest will get a long look over, his gaze lingering on her arm, before he pulls her in for a bear hug.  It’s partially an apology, and partially with intent to keep her from the mob.  Lina’s never quite had a head for violence.

“Aye.  It’s lively already, isn’t it?”

If Henry would have known, maybe he would have tried to come earlier.  But the needs of Scotland weren’t so easily put on hold just because Greece finally decided to pull its head out of its own ass.  

Henry huffs, then moves to pull his daughter back towards the palace and away from the crowds.  

“Tell me what’s happened.”

     quite a greeting, though it sounds so much like her father that lina smiles in return. she lets him look her over, eager to return his hug. this time, she holds on a little longer than usual –- such a large court has vastly overwhelmed her, and she feels a sense of comfort with his presence. at the very least, someone she knows will be on her side. “ lively indeed. ” she sounds almost bemused as she pulls away, flattening the fabric of her dress with her palms to go with him inside. 

          ‘    i only spoke of the truth .    there is no difficulty in that .    ’       prior silence already transitioned into song ,   boisterous laughter echoed down the halls      ————      come morning     &     the incident would be forgotten     (    rúyì was sure of it    ) .    hopefully lina wouldn’t dwell on it too much either   …   this ,   rúyì couldn’t guarantee .       ‘    …   huh    ——    ’       she slows down ,   visage a mix of perplexity    &    the beginnings of a smile .    a look left ,   right ,   then left again .       ‘    how embarrassing .    i cannot seem to recall where your chambers are   ??    ’

“What the hell is going on here?”

Henry Stuart, King of Scots, finally arrives in Greece only to find it in chaos.  He barely makes it to the outside courtyard of the palace before he’s rudely stopped by a small regiment of guards, who usher him, and any other poor bastard unfortunate enough to be in their way, away from what seems to be a growing scene of panic and confusion.  No one knows what’s going on for certain, but whispers start to rise over the din of the crowd: It’s a murder.  Than it’s not.  A theft.  But no.  It’s hard to tell anything when the hysterical palace staff can’t keep their stories straight. Henry doesn’t have time for this.  Tried from the road, and suddenly apprehensive to see his family, He pushes his way past the crowd and ducks behind a pillar to enter the actual palace grounds…

…only to slam into the unexpected person lingering on the other side.

“Ey!”

     the scene of the palace was chaotic –– some living in genuine fear, some eager for a bit of gossip. lina hadn’t a clue as how to actually react. if she were being honest, she was a bit fearful. after all, the motive and culprit were still completely unclear, and the details seemed to change by the hour. why? and if they didn’t know why, they couldn’t entirely be sure it was an isolated incident.

          hand still on lina’s arm ,   rúyì gently guides her away from the crowd .       ‘    please excuse us .    ’       only once they’re out of the room does rúyì release a breath .       ‘    wasn’t that just  nerve wracking   ?    ’

“ AH, AH, AH. ” THE SYLLABLES FLOAT ABOVE THE DIN of the hall as Isabela sucks in her breath; Lady Fortune smiles upon her this instance and the queen’s glass is saved. Her victorious toast is quickly ended by a wince as the stain blooms upon the younger’s dress – it was a rather pretty outfit otherwise. “ Don’t be silly, ” she shakes her head. “ It was only an accident. ” Isabela glances the princess up and down (quick and shrewd) and offers a dimpled smile. “ I don’t believe we’ve properly been introduced, have we? La Reina Isabel Marisol Trastámara de España. ”  

li jie had not even noticed there was something wrong until the smell of red wine was less faint. he looked down at his niece’s dress and gasped. “aiyah, that’s no good.” he tutted at her as though to reprimand, but he placed his own goblet down on the table next to them before gently taking lina’s arm to redirect her away from the mess. they could leave that for the servants to clean. “let’s get you cleaned up, then. change into a fresh gown. was that intentional, by the way? did you see someone very loathsome?”

THE GREEK COURT was new territory for her and everyone else. But she’s never been to one place that held so many nobles. She’s been to weddings and the like, but it was like she was seeing the whole world just being here. There were plenty of nobles milling about. She was about to reacquaint herself with the Spanish nobles when she caught a glimpse of one of her daughters. Lina. Her brown eyes peered at her, seeing her hesitation. Ai-yah. She abandoned her journey to the Spanish for her daughter, as she supposed she’d do in general. “ You’d be surprised at how many there are. There’s still a whole lot of the world to see. ” Meili agreed with a gentle smile. Her gaze drifted towards the group she caught Lina looking over earlier. “ Why don’t go and speak with them? They seem like a lively lot, eh? ”

          ‘    your highness   ———   ??    ’       a hand goes to her shoulder    (   to offer some semblance of comfort   ) .    the unmistakable red stain    &    flurry of apologies spilling from noble’s lips was   telling ,   but   REASSURING    ———    it was just a stain ,   not an injury .       ‘    come ,   let’s get you cleaned up .    ’

a historical / fantasy / period / medieval friendly character survey.

reblog and bold your muses preference.

roses / cherry blossoms / orchids / tulips

winter / summer / autumn / spring 

thunderstorms / sunshine / snow 

indoors / outdoors 

meat / fruit / sweets 

extravagance / traditionalism / minimalism 

god fearing / non god fearing 

cats / dogs / horses / birds 

sunrise / sunset 

day time / night time 

fire / earth / water / wind 

reading / writing

rising early / sleeping late 

wine / ale / neither

fur / silk / satin / lace 

rubies / pearls / sapphires 

horse back / walking / carriages 

love / power

having company / being alone 

lakes / rivers / oceans 

knife / sword / bow / poison